I was still smiling this much at the end, when they made me stop riding. Then again, I'd only gone 43 miles.

Stamina, I got. Speed, not so much.

No buckle for me from my first Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race, but I’m not sad, because it’s about the journey, and it was one heck of a ride. Not after it took me 10 years to get here. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a mountain bike.

The good news is, Grace Ragland, who lives in Huntsville, Ala., did get a buckle. For those of you who don’t know about Ragland, she was featured in both “Race Across the Sky” movies about the race (if you want to get pumped about mountain biking, they are must-sees). Ragland battles multiple sclerosis, but she has never let it run her life. She was diagnosed at the age of 18, and then proceeded to become a boss mountain biker. This year, at age 51, she was on her fourth attempt to get that silver rectangle.

The pursuit of a healthier state through better living. The Denver Post's ColoradoFit blog features local experts on the latest fitness trends, active lifestyles and nutrition options in Colorado and beyond.